Yemen and Egypt have agreed on nominating Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa for the post of the Arab League secretary general, reported Al-Jazira satellite channel.

Moussa is the sole candidate for the post after former Yemeni prime minister Mohsen al-Aini withdrew his own candidacy, said the report.

Al-Aini withdrew his candidacy for the top Arab League post of secretary general after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Yemeni counterpart, Ali Abdallah Saleh, agreed on Moussa, said the TV report.

AFP quoted the Yemeni official as saying that "Mr. Mubarak and Mr. Saleh talked Wednesday night on the telephone and they agreed on Moussa's candidacy."

Aini told AFP he "was very happy to withdraw" to give Moussa a strong chance to replace Esmat Abdel Meguid, who has served in the post since 1991.

Abdel Meguid was expected to retire when his second five-year mandate expires on May 14, the agency said.

His successor must be decided by heads of Arab states during their next summit on March 27 in Amman - Albawaba.com